Time Trial Tech at the Liege Prologue

June 30, 2012

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Time trials are where all the flashy equipment comes out—as well the oddball. From warm-up equipment to brakes, teams have to seek every advantage while catering to individual rider whims. —Joe Lindsey

World time-trial champion Tony Martin was one of just two Omega Pharma–Quick-Step riders to get a new Specialized S-Works McLaren TT helmet to race in (Levi got the other). The new helmets are shorter, to work better in crosswinds, and feature a gill vent on the side to speed airflow.

Mavic-sponsored teams like Garmin-Sharp, Liquigas-Cannondale, and Katusha used Mavic’s new Cosmic CXR80 wheel and tire combo. The tire features a textured tread on the sides, which creates a more slippery boundary layer for air to pass over.

Armed with research that shows that, generally, a seat-tube mounted water bottle is more aerodynamic than one on the downtube, some bikemakers earmark their team-edition frames for special treatment, forgoing drillings for downtube bosses altogether. Argos-Shimano sponsor Felt goes one better, as their stock DA time-trial bike doesn’t even have them.

Every rider gets a nameplate on the follow car. But with 198 riders and just two or three cars per team, officials have to swap out the nameplates. The plates sit in a stack ordered by start time. As each team car comes through, a worker slides the card into the clips on two magnetic brackets that attach to the hood. At the finish, the placard is removed. The cards themselves are sought-after souvenirs—sometimes by the riders themselves.

In the past, mechanics used electrical tape to carefully cover every bolt hole or opening that could affect aerodynamics. But the UCI this year clarified that such coverings were illegal, and teams this year were careful to abide by the rules. The only exception: holes for tire valves on disc wheels.

Teams often vary chainring size for time trials based on rider strength and terrain. 54T big rings are common, but on flatter courses riders sometimes use larger small rings as well to improve shift speed. This Cofidis bike is equipped with a 54/46T combo, although it’s likely the rider never even used the small ring on the flat, fast Liege prologue course.

Riders’ pre-race rituals differ greatly, but one constant seems to be music of some kind. They use it to get motivated for the short, intense effort and to shut out the crowds that gather as they warm up. Time trials are the only events where riders regularly warm up prior to the start, so it makes for good spectating—and sometimes a bit of an animal-in-the-zoo feel for the riders.

Invariably, riders choose stationary trainers for their warm-ups. Aside from being stable, they’re better suited to the intense “opener” efforts riders use to prime their legs for a time-trial. But Vacansoleil’s Marco Marcato instead chose to use a set of Elite Parabolic rollers—the only rider we saw to pick rollers, which require more concentration but also produce a fluid spin.

When riding on a trainer, riders don’t have the benefit of cooling air moving over them. Cooling techniques were previously rare, but are far more common today. They range from simple (Sky had a fan and misters) to custom-made ice vests like the one worn here by world champion Tony Martin.

Some Pinarello Graal bikes we saw at Team Sky featured these machined aluminum armrest stacks and collet sleeves for the aero extensions on the PRO Missile Evo bars they use. The collet approach is common and PRO uses them on some other bars, but these were clearly not finished products and the stock Missile Evo doesn’t have them.

At the Tour, fans and teams mingle fairly freely. Teams always try to carve out a little space around the team for time trials, but BMC took over an entire median in Liege for a spacious, grassy compound that included sitting areas and plenty of personal space for the riders to warm up in private.

Magura’s new RT8 hydraulic rim brake is supposed to be exclusive to Garmin-Sharp sponsor Cervélo (who helped develop the brake) this year. But we spotted these RT8s on Cofidis rider Rein Taaramae’s spare Look time-trial bike. Details on how they got there were not forthcoming, but the seat-tube cable exit makes for extremely clean brake line routing.

Tony Martin was one of a few riders to start on Specialized’s new prototype time-trial clincher tire. It’s 24mm wide and has paper-thin sidewalls and tread, weighing a scant 158 grams. Specialized claims it saves between 2 to 8 watts over even some top tubular tires. But the lack of a puncture protection layer cost Martin, who flatted during his ride.

Mechanics take no chances with flats. As riders ready for their ride just outside the start ramp, team mechanics make final checks for any problems. Here, a Liquigas mechanic wipes down Vincenzo Nibali’s tires to make sure he didn’t pick up any debris on the ride from the team bus. If he did, they have spare wheels at the ready.

Ekoi isn’t a commonly known name for American cyclists, but the French company does sell its wares in the U.S. One that’s not (yet) available anywhere: this blunt, egg-shaped time-trial lid worn by Ag2r-la Mondiale leader J.C. Peraud. Along with Garmin’s custom Giro helmets, Sky’s Kask lids, and the new Specialized McLaren, the trend in time-trial helmets is clearly toward shorter tails.